


Calm Before the Storm

by Sheyamiku



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27249793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheyamiku/pseuds/Sheyamiku
Summary: Nine-year-old Regulus notices that his cousin Andromeda is more distant than usual, and he cannot help but wonder why.
Kudos: 6





	Calm Before the Storm

Andromeda was sitting by the window, visibly lost in thought, oblivious to Bellatrix, Narcissa and Sirius’s shouting. Regulus had never enjoyed being part of those three’s games as he always seemed to find himself the victim, somehow, of their jokes. A few years back, it was Andromeda that would keep him out of their grip and include him on the laughing side. Ever since the holydays had started however, his cousin had been distant and thoughtful. No one seemed to have noticed, or at least, no one seemed troubled by it and Regulus did not know if it would be appropriate to bring up the subject.

Bellatrix made a loud shriek and from the corner of his eyes, Regulus saw her jump on Sirius as if to strangle him. He was not worried, however, for a second later, she was laughing alongside her cousin and little sister. Too distracted to pay him or Andromeda any attention, Regulus decided now was the moment to sneak out of the little circle they formed. Slowly, he walked to the brown-haired witch. She seemed not to notice his approach, her eyes lost in the snowy horizons beyond the window’s glass.

‘Andromeda.’ He called softly to announce his presence.

His cousin jumped at the sound of her name, nearly falling off the armchair she was so cosily sat on. ‘Merlin, Reg! You scared me…’

‘Sorry,’ he replied in almost a whisper.

Her surprise seemed a little disproportionate to him. Already he started to feel like maybe coming to her wasn’t that good an idea. She seemed to notice his disappointment however, and soon, a tender smile brightened her face. She took him by the arm and helped him settle next to her on the armchair.

‘It’s okay,’ she said looking at him. ‘I was… thinking. That’s all.’ Regulus nodded, refusing to meet her gaze. He decided the best way to avoid it was looking by the window like she had been doing. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, but simply that meeting other people’s eyes made him feel insecure. Andromeda, used to his air of distance, simply nuzzled him closer and Regulus was grateful for the warmth. ‘Did you want something?’ she asked softly.

Regulus did not reply at once. _Did_ he want something? He wasn’t sure, at all. He had simply tried to escape the others’ excitement because it tired him. But also… ‘Why aren’t you playing with the us?’ he asked.

Andromeda raised a surprised eyebrow. ‘I…’ She hesitated. ‘I’m a little tired to be honest. That’s why.’ Regulus nodded and shrugged. He was also tired. In fact, he had half a mind of going to his mother and asking her if they could go back home, but he knew that would only anger her, and she would scold him for disturbing her. ‘Why do you ask?’ asked Andromeda suddenly, cutting short his stream of thoughts. ‘Did you want me to play with you?’

Regulus shrugged again. He did not like questions like those, they made him uncomfortable because he was not sure what people wanted him to answer. Thankfully, Andromeda wasn’t waiting for an answer. ‘I’m sorry I’m not playing with you like I used to, Reg,’ she said tenderly, passing a soft hand through his neat black curls. ‘But, you know… I am growing up and so are you. Things can never be like they used to…’

Regulus couldn’t help but turn to face her as she said those last words. Of course, he understood what she was trying to say and the statement itself wasn’t what had worried him; it was the sadness in her voice, the grim implication, the graveness with which she had pronounced it. As for her, she wasn’t really looking at him anymore. Though her eyes were set on his, she did not see him, she was looking beyond his figure, beyond the ground, beyond the walls… Into a world only she could see.

‘Are you sad?’ he asked before he could stop himself. Quickly, he looked away, feeling his cheeks redden as he could hear the distress in his own voice.

Andromeda raised an eyebrow. Regulus had never seen her so distracted before. She stared right into his eyes for what felt like an eternity, her face a mix of many emotions which he simply could not identify. Just as he was going to look away, she ran her fingers through his hair, eyes seemingly transfixed by the sight of his curls tickling her skin, and spoke again in what was barely a whisper. ‘Honestly, I’m not. I think… I think I’ve never been happier…’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Regulus, a little alarmed.

Andromeda smiled, and it was a beautiful smile that brought a tinge of pink to her pale skin and brightened her face with honesty. It only confused him more. ‘Ah, it’s a complicated story, Reg. You’ll know when you’re older…’

Regulus’s features crunched into an angry pout. ‘I hate it when people say that.’

Andromeda laughed. ‘Of course you do! I used to hate it too.’

‘Then why do you say it?’

‘Because I mean it. You’ll know when you’re older. Not because you’re small now, but because it’s a secret and I can’t tell.’

‘A secret? You have secrets?’

‘Everyone has secrets, Reg.’

‘But, you told me, and Sirius and Cissy and Bella, they said, last time, that we should never keep secrets from each other. Because we’re family.’

Andromeda did not answer. She simply looked at him and for a second, her eyes seemed to darken and she looked more like Bella. Soon, however, she was back to normal and when she spoke again, it was about something completely different. ‘Sirius will be starting Hogwarts next year. Are you going to miss him?’

Regulus decided he’d play along, too tired to try and stir the conversation back to what it was. ‘No.’ He answered simply.

Andromeda smiled tenderly. ‘Oh, you will.’

‘ _He_ won’t miss _me_.’

‘Regulus, your brother loves you even if he isn’t obvious about it.’

‘I don’t think he does. I think he thinks I’m annoying. He always wants to play with me but afterwards he pushes me and says I’m no fun and he’d rather play with his new friend.’

‘New friend?’

‘The one he met at the last party. I think his name is James.’

‘Well, Sirius might be like this now, but one day, when you really need him, he’ll be here for you.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Because you are family.’

That did not sound very convincing to Regulus’s young ears but he did not protest. He did not want to reply because she would insist and he was too tired. Already his eyes felt heavy and his body, weak. Yawning, he curled up in her arms, his head resting on her side, and let his lids close. Her breathing was soft and regular and quickly lulled him to sleep.

Andromeda couldn’t keep her eyes off the nine years-old boy quietly sleeping in her arms. Regulus was so young and yet, she felt, he knew so much.

Secrets. Didn’t she believe, once, also, that there would never be secrets between her and her sisters. Didn’t she believe, once, also, that family meant that trust could never be broken. And yet, here she was, holding back an entire relationship from all her family. Loving a muggle-born, right under their noses. Of course, she wasn’t the only one. Bellatrix was hiding something too. It was all about that Rodolphus Lestrange and the Dark Lord, she knew. And here rested the difference. Andromeda knew what Bella was hiding, even though she didn’t know the details, but Bella wasn’t even aware that Andromeda was hiding something. Cissy was suspicious, of course, but these last month had seen her so completely self-absorbed with her own suitor issues that she hadn’t had time to pay a mind to Andromeda’s private life.

The young witch’s eyes found themselves pulled once more by an inexplicable force to the window. Outside, the snowflakes fell from the sky, sometimes dragged by the wind in a rapid dance, circling each other teasingly before continuing their gentle path down to the ground where they lay, and waited, and melted and thus died until next winter would bring with it a new wave of snowflakes, young and fresh, that would inevitably follow the same path as their ancestors.

Andromeda closed her eyes and let her thoughts wonder far beyond Black Manor, miles and miles from where she sat, to a small muggle house that she had never seen and wasn’t sure she would ever see. There, she climbed up imaginary stairs and walked slowly through some imaginary corridor before stopping in front of an imaginary door painted yellow. She raised her hand to open it, but the handle turned before she could reach it. The door opened and slowly revealed a young man. He was barely taller than her, but much sturdier. A strong boy, stocky with a square face illuminated by a broad, honest, gentle smile that formed a knot in her stomach. She walked to him and he walked to her. They were inches from each other now and she was paralysed, afraid that one more movement on her side would break the beautiful picture. He was the one to move then, gently, tenderly, he pulled her into his arms and held her. She hugged him back and smiled.

Andromeda opened her eyes again. Regulus was still sleeping, his head now resting on her lap. Further down the room, the three others were lying on each other, sleeping also. She smiled at the sight of them. The atmosphere was so calm, so peaceful, like no harm could ever come break their innocence. She let herself exhale deeply. For now, she thought, she would accept the good that came to her, no matter where it came from. As long as her peace lasted, she would let it be.

**Author's Note:**

> I am, indeed, obsessed with the character of Andromeda Black. I also, it so happens, have a massive soft spot for Regulus.  
> Hope you enjoyed!


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